People, let me tell you 'bout my best friend: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo. (Paul Buckowski, Times Union)

A new Quinnipiac University poll finds broad support for the expansion of pre-kindergarten education statewide, and a majority (47-37) backs Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s funding plan ($1.5 billion over five years) over New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan (which depends on a five-year city income tax surcharge on this making more than $500,000 per year).

“Just about everyone in this most liberal of states likes universal pre-kindergarten and they think – overwhelmingly – that kids will learn and that it will help them out of poverty,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

“But voters prefer Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s no-new-taxes approach to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s tax-the-rich plan to pay for those new classes.”

On hydrofracking:

Environmental concerns outweigh economic benefits as New York State voters oppose 45 – 41 percent drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. Suburban voters support drilling by a slim 44 – 40 percent margin, while New York City voters are opposed 48 – 35 percent. Upstate voters are divided with 46 percent in favor of drilling and 45 percent opposed.

Cuomo is “dragging his feet” to avoid making a decision on hydraulic fracturing, 35 percent of voters say, while 23 percent say he is “carefully evaluating the issue,” with 37 percent undecided. Upstate voters say 45 – 24 percent the governor is dragging his feet.

By a 47 – 37 percent margin, including 49 – 40 percent among New York City voters, all New York State voters back Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan for universal pre-kindergarten with no new taxes over New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to fund pre-K with a city income tax hike on high-income families, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Voters support 76 – 20 percent state funding in general of universal pre-K, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds, with support at 59 – 35 percent among Republicans, 91 – 7 percent among Democrats and 73 – 23 percent among independent voters.

A total of 78 percent of voters say universal pre-K would be “very effective” or “somewhat effective” in improving education for all New York State children. A total of 74 percent say universal pre-K would be very or somewhat effective in putting poor children “on a path out of poverty.”

“Just about everyone in this most liberal of states likes universal pre-kindergarten and they think – overwhelmingly – that kids will learn and that it will help them out of poverty,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

“But voters prefer Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s no-new-taxes approach to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s tax-the-rich plan to pay for those new classes.”

“The mayor made his argument again in his State-of-the-City speech. It will be interesting to see how a mayor elected with a huge margin of a small turnout fares with up-for- election state officials,” Carroll added.

In an open-ended question, allowing for any answer, a total of 28 percent of New York State voters list the economy or jobs or wages as the top priority for Gov. Cuomo and the State Legislature. A total of 18 percent list education or education funding. This group includes 1 percent who specifically said pre-Kindergarten or early childhood education.

A total of 12 percent list priorities related to taxes and only 2 percent list income inequality or class inequality.

Environmental concerns outweigh economic benefits as New York State voters oppose 45 – 41 percent drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale. Suburban voters support drilling by a slim 44 – 40 percent margin, while New York City voters are opposed 48 – 35 percent. Upstate voters are divided with 46 percent in favor of drilling and 45 percent opposed.

Cuomo is “dragging his feet” to avoid making a decision on hydraulic fracturing, 35 percent of voters say, while 23 percent say he is “carefully evaluating the issue,” with 37 percent undecided. Upstate voters say 45 – 24 percent the governor is dragging his feet.

Cuomo or de Blasio

Gov. Cuomo most closely represents their political views, 44 percent of New York State voters say, while 27 percent line up with Mayor de Blasio, leaving 28 percent undecided. Cuomo wins more hearts and minds among every party, gender and regional group except New York City voters, who identify with de Blasio 44 – 38 percent.

“Who do voters feel more at home with philosophically? Cuomo has the edge over de Blasio, except in New York City,” Carroll said.

From February 6 – 10, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,488 New York State voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Ohio, Virginia, Colorado and the nation as a public service and for research.

The problem statewide is there is not enough day care for pre-school aged children. What there is available costs two-wage-earner households and arm and a leg. Simply put, day car is expensive, as much as $400/week or more for all day care. Parents are all in favor, if they believe that it will reduce their costs but, one has to wonder, in the long term, what universal pre-K will lead to, in so far as oversight, creating more bureaucracies, restrictive regulations, etc… Perhaps the best path to follow might be to significantly expand of the tax credit allowed for parents with day care expenses at the Federal, State and, in New York City’s case, city level’s of income taxation so that as much as 50% of a parent’s annual cost, up to, say, $10,000 per child in expenses is reimbursable to them as a tax credit. After all, public education is not really a constitutional function of New York State until a child reaches 6 years of age. IMHO, we should tread lightly while, at the same time, we are trying to open doors for young families in this area.

As for Quinnapiac, the #1 priority of the legislature and governor should be to continue reigning in the costs of healthcare, regaining control of public education away from the Federal government, resolving the hydrofracking dilemma, curtailing additional prison costs by cutting back on jail cells, reform of the Taylor Law so as to restrict PERB’s influence on municipal budgets, assuring the fiscal integrity of our major upstate cities, moving forward with plans for high speed rail, and opening up the economies of the north country with serious investment in road and bridge construction along the boundaries and waterways that connect us to Canada and Vermont. In addition, allow me to throw in my pet projects of establishing a public community college in each political jurisdiction of 100,000 or more residents, authorizing municipalities of 40,000 or more to introduce a sliding scale municipal income tax for workers whose place of employment is located within said community’s political boundaries, and legislation that allows senior elected officials to impose residency requirements on permanent public employees whose salaries are paid by locally generated tax dollars.

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